Expat wanderer

Soor Street

One of the earliest exploration trips I made in Kuwait was along Soor Street (Wall Street) because I wanted to see the old gates to Old Kuwait City. I could find most of them, but not all of them. Soor Street has continued to fascinate me – and I wonder if one day soon, it won’t be all new construction.

This is one of those buildings-with-a-twist going up; I think Tijaria Real Estate is calling it the Kuwait World Trade Center. I get the two companies confused, there is another company, Tijara, that built The Mermaid of Mangaf. I don’t think the companies are related, but they both do more interesting buildings than these:

Like why even bother? These are so boring you just want to look away.

The dumps on the left have about 10 men in every apartment; they hang their wash on any available fixture and shave on the balcony. I wonder how much longer these places will stand once the building on the right opens? I am guessing the owner of this prime property will also want to tear down the dumps and build something more high-rent.

Some of you have asked for photos of some of the older places in downtown Kuwait. There isn’t much “old” but there is older. The intense heat is hard on paint and hard on maintenance, so I am guessing these buildings are only about 30 – 40 years old.

Thanks Skunk – you’re talking about the metal making souk where I might be able to find the old coffee making braziers?

R – I bet they will make a bundle. There is a lot of new and interesting stuff going up near the ministry buildings.

How is the oral history project coming?

Mac – TAKE PHOTOS! There are photos I can’t take – men stretched out on their sides on the diwaniyya benches, men in the diwaniyyas solving the problems of the world, great summer photos in this desultory time of year.